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Super Bowl prep: Area coaches help break down basic football terms

Not a huge sports fan, but still planning to watch the game Sunday? Here's a cheat sheet.

By Lauren Linhard

llinhard@eveningsun.com @LinhardReports on Twitter

Posted:
01/31/2014 08:16:01 PM EST

I don't watch the Super Bowl.

All right, I watched last year because I'm a Raven's fan, but even then I didn't understand what was going on. But this year, I am determined to attend the local Super Bowl party and not sound like a fool by cheering for the wrong thing.

In an effort to get a little sports education, I called around to some of the area high school football coaches to get the 411 on football lingo so I can get through the night like a champ.

Check out what the coaches had to say when it comes to understanding the most important terms of their favorite sport.

Offense versus defense: The offensive team is the one with ball and the defensive team is the one trying to stop the team that has the ball.- Coach Damian Poalucci, South Western

Line of Scrimmage: An invisible line that spans the entire width of the field, marking where the ball is at that time. It indicates where the play starts. The defense cannot pass the line of scrimmage until the ball is snapped.- Coach Steve Wiles, Delone Catholic

A pre-snap read: It place at the line of scrimmage before the offense hikes the ball. The quarterback on the offensive team reads the defensive line to determine a play. Sometimes the defensive presents a false line, indicating a play they won't really use. In that case, after the ball is snapped and the defense moves into a different formation, the quarterback has to make a read to determine which play is now correct.- Coach Mike Lippy, Littlestown

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An Audible: A play called by the quarterback at the line of scrimmage to make a change from the play that was previously called in the huddle or from a sideline signal.- Coach Jon DeFoe, Bermudian Springs

Four and 10: Each team is given four downs, or attempts, to move the ball 10 yards down the field. If that is not accomplished, the other team gets the ball. If the team with the ball does get back 10 years, they get another four downs to move another 10 years.- Coach Jason Thurston, New Oxford

A sack: This occurs when the defense tackles the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.- Coach Darwin Seiler, Fairfield